A Merc's Life For Me
by richard.espino.581
Summary: Welcome to the story of a group of mercenaries recruited into the N7 Spec Ops program. Join the leaders of the Black Chimeras as they help rid the universe of Reapers, Collectors, Cerberus and Geth. Note: This a collaborated attempt between myself and Knightwolf20x. Rated M for gore, language, and sexual references. Hope you enjoy.


A Mercenary's Life for Me

Ch. 1: Enter the Chimeras.

[A/n: This collaboration is between me and BlackDiamondBloodline.

Disclaimer: We do not own Mass Effect. That honor goes to Microsoft and Bioware. We only own the characters in this story.]

Out in the Horse Head Nebula a large ship drifted through, massive in scale. Many would have mistook it for a Collector ship that had been abducting human colonies months prior, though it did have a slight resemblance it was distinctively human in origin. The ship was approximately thirty percent smaller than the Collector vessel. The ship was heavily armed, thick armor plating, and the most advanced shielding available. the ships interior consisted mostly of civilian living areas. They also had an internal docking bay, a small hospital, foreign embassies and a fighter hangar. On the side of the ship the words _Big Bad _painted on in white human English letters.

In an office located in the military headquarters of the heavily armed cargo/carrier/space station ship _Big_ _Bad _three veteran mercenaries sat around discussing their latest contracts. A Volus, a Krogan, and a female Quarian. The three spoke quietly amongst themselves as they shuffle through files of paperwork.

"Remind me again why we have to go through all this paperwork?" The Krogan Warlord asked, thoroughly annoyed with repeatedly writing his signature on the data pads.

"We must make sure we have everything in order Takai," the volus said, pausing to breath, "wouldn't want the alliance trying to shut us down _again_ now would we?" The volus said, taking another breath.

"How was I suppose to know those guns where stolen alliance property? It was your source Doohan, so it was initially your fault." The Krogan growled. The two men were about to continue until the quarian interfered.

"That doesn't matter right now. We need to have a crew manifest completed, a civilian population count, a list of the supplies we have, and a weapons log, all by the time James gets back. Not to mention we still need to finalize the permits that will allow us to upgrade the ships guns." The Quarian reminded her two bickering partners.

The Volus Doohan sighed, "Shala is correct," he pauses to breath, "the sooner we finish this the sooner we can get back to the front lines." Doohan continued to sign the data pads.

Takai looked over the datapad in his hand and grunted. "Why do we have to have three _licensed_ pilots for every one fighter ship we own?" He asked crossly.

"One pilot, one co-pilot, and one reserve." Shala answered while still reading over data pads.

Suddenly their omni-tools came to life. A loud ruckus seemed to going on in the background when a voice came over the holographic tool. It was a human male's voice.

"Um, sirs, we have a bit of situation in the mess hall." another crash could be heard followed by a loud roar of approval.

"You may want to get here soon sirs. Things are getting a bit rowdy here-gak." The transmission cut off with the sound of something crashing into the speaker.

All three of the rooms occupants sighed, having a pretty good idea of what was happening.

"Twenty credits says Riku started it." Takai growled. His colleagues declined to take him up on that bet.

As the three veterans walk into the mess hall they see a ring of their men and women around a Batarian and another Krogan in what seemed to be a boxing match.

"I've been hit by human infants harder than that Riku." The Krogan growled.

The Batarian came at the Krogan with more ferocity. Quickly jabbing and dodging the Krogan's fists. Takai quickly made his way to the two combatants, shoving the others out of the way. Just as the Batarian was about to unleash the signature Batarian Haymaker a huge hammer blocked the punch and was shoved roughly away. The other Krogan was quickly knocked back by a burst of energy that seemingly came from nowhere. He looked down to see a Volus powering down an energy sphere.

"Looks like you boys forgot the rules. If you want to fight keep it out of the mess. You just better hope James doesn't catch wind of this or on the next mission he'll make you jump from orbit." Takai growled at the two mercs.

"What am I not suppose to hear about?" Another, older, male voice said from the hall entrance. They all turn to see a human in gold colored Phoenix Vangaurd armor. He strode into the room, taking off his helmet. The man looked to be in his mid to late forties with black hair. His face had a scar running over his eye and another running along his chin. He looked around, assessing the damage.

"Who started this?" He asked in a stern voice standing with his hands behind his back.

The Batarian and Krogan kept trying to push the other forward, only for both to be shoved forward by Takai. They both turned and glared at the Warlord, who merely smiled evilly at the two. They then turned back and faced one of their founding members.

"If I've told you two once I've told you a thousand times, keep your little squabbles out of the dining area. Save it for the gym. You will both be docked half your cut in the next mission of my choosing and you will both clean this mess up." He gestured to the ruined tables and splattered food.

The two mercenaries briefly glared at each other and looked back at the man, nodding in understanding.

"Don't say I didn't warn you Wrox. You're lucky we're cousins or I would have just let James handle the both of you." Takai's deep voice seemed to irritate Worx greatly at that moment.

"The hell with you Takai." Wrox's deep gravelly voice carried throughout the room.

Takai lightly pushed Wrox and laughed. "I'll take you on any day runt, just name the time and place." He growled.

"Both of you need to stop. I won't have my men acting like a pack of rabid Varren." James bellowed. The other crew members dispersed leaving only Takai, Shala, Doohan.

"I leave for a meeting with Alliance Command and come back to two of my frontliners duking it out in the mess?" He inquires.

"Sorry James, we were busy finishing up the paperwork to submit to the alliance." Doohan informed his friend.

"Forget the blasted paperwork, what did the alliance want?" Takai gruffly asked.

"Patience my friend, I'll tell you in the office." He lead them out of the mess hall. The four walked together discussing recent events on the ship and his trip to the citadel. They reached their shared office and James began taking his armor off.

"So are you going to keep in suspense or are you going to tell us what's happening?" Shala asked slightly annoyed as James took a seat behind his desk.

"Admiral Hackett of the Alliance contacted me with a proposition. He wants us to aid the Alliance fight off the Reapers. They said that we would be paid after every mission." James informed, looking at each of them.

"Hmph, that it? What makes this any different than what we normally do?" Takai asked.

"Nope, we will also be supplied weapons and medical supplies, along with any other provisions we will need. Our civilian section will also be given a small discount in the varuous companies' shopping centers and they will also have spots reserved in case the worst should happen." James finished.

Takai let out an impressed whistle. "Now that sounds like a deal worth taken'." The warlord commented.

Doohan was skeptical. "There has to be a catch," he takes a breath, "as you humans say 'if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is'." He said.

"Well, we do have to try to behave according to military protocols. We will also have to answer to the council, the admirals and the spectres." James added.

Doohan sighed. "Great. Just when I thought my military days were over." The Volus adept wasn't looking forward to this.

"Doohan we would be fools not to accept this. The civilians are counting on those supplies and the Reapers are making supplies hard to get now a days." Suki reminded him.

"Of, course you are correct, again." He sighed.

"So we are in agreement?" James asks. They all nod.

"Good, we can contact Hackett now through a secure channel. In your spots guys." He waved them to their holo-stations. They were quickly scanned and an image of a man in an officers uniform, roughly the same age as James, appears. The mans face is heavily scarred.

"James, I wasn't expecting you to answer so soon. What is your decision?" The admiral asked.

"Sir, say hello to your new asset. The crew of the cargo carrier Big Bad are at your service." James and the other three all saluted as one.

"Good to hear James. Do you mind introducing us? I want to know who I need to speak to." Hackett asked.

Takai stepped forward. "The name is Urghet Takai, krogan warlord." He said taking a step back, allowing Doohan to go forward.

"My name is Doohan Der, volus adept at your service Admiral." He said, giving a slight bow. Suki stepped forward.

"I am Shala'Nara vas Big Bad, quarian engineer. Pleased to make you acquaintance." she said, snapping a small salute.

"It's good to meet you all, I look forward to seeing you in action. First I need you to meet Commander Shepard. He will have his ship dock into yours so you can meet each other's crew." Hackett Informed.

"One more thing Admiral. When this war is over and we come out on top I want this ship to have recognized independance from the council and the alliance." James added

"We will discusse it later James." Hackett replayed

"Fine, but it will be discussed. James out." James finished as the hologram faded.

James activated his omi-tool and sent a message to all his soldiers.

"All grunts get to the mess hall." James ended

The four leaders walked out their office and towards the mess hall, thinking of ways to break the news to their crew. They all wondered how losing their independence would affect the men. Many of the soldiers enjoyed the freedom they didn't get from being in the military.

As the quartet entered the mess hall they saw all of their best warriors there. Many different races sat around talking and joking with each other. A few decided that arm wrestling was a good way to pass the time while their bosses arrived. A salarian sat close to two drell, all speaking in hushed tones. A few of the male ex-Alliance soldiers seemed to be flirting with an asari Huntress and another female ex-Alliance soldier. They then spotted Riku and Wrox both eating bowls of noodle soup. Riku looked up from his bowl and noticed their leaders had arrived. He stood up and saluted.

"Sir, the men are assembled." Riku shouted, prompting the others to follow suit. They knew to be on their best when the bosses call for a meeting of ask the men.

"At ease, everyone please have a seat," James tells them. They all relaxed and resumed sitting, "now you may be wondering why I called you all here. Well I was presented with an opportunity that was too good to pass up. Admiral Hacket has recruited us to help in the war against the Reapers. Takai, Doohan, Shala and I will be meeting Commander Shepard in the docking bay with the rest of his team. Now you will be able to be present but you need to be on your best behavior." He said, looking directly at Riku and Wrox.

"Is that understood?" James asked looking over his men. Riku started to raise his hand when a growl from Takai made him rethink and lower his arm.

"Good they shall be here soon. Let's go meet our newest allies." James said, tuning and leading them out.

Few hours later in the docking bay

The main ground crew of the cargo ship Big Bad was already waiting in the docking bay to meet there new allies. Along with The four leaders came four of the more infamous soldiers of his team, who are dubbed the 'Wolf Pack' by James. They consisted of Wrox, Riku, a Salarian named Tezelen 'Twitch' Eldne, and A Quarian Marksmen named Han'Nara vos Big Bad, though he wasn't with them. They were accompanied by a Turian named Aephus Kereiros. Tezelen looked like the average salarian, except for the half an ear missing on his left side and the zigzagging claw scars running down the same side of his face. Aephus however looked like a perfectly healthy example of the Turian species. No sighs of scars, only a hard look in his eyes and a steady, calm demeanor. Then there was a human female in heavy combat armor. She didn't have a helmet on showing her scar that starts at her eyebrow and reaches down to the middle of her cheek. She had blonde hair cut into a strip with the sides of her head slightly faded, pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were blue with a bit of gray at the edge of her irises.

The Normandy landed in the docking bay hatch opened as her crew walked out the clear leader Shepherd walked out followed by a human male, a Turian, an Asari, and a robotic woman.

James walked over to Shepherd and extended his hand to Shepherd "Hello Shepard, James Wolfgang, nice to meet you."

Commander Shepherd shook James hand "Nice to meet you James I heard we will be working together this is my team. Allow me to introduce-"

"No need Commander; I looked them all up, they are all heroes and very capable people. Allow me to introduce you to meet my team." James interrupted Shepherd. He allowed his men to stand in line and introduce themselves.

"Doohan Der, Volus Adept." Doohan started them off. Takai followed.

"Urghet Takai, Krogan Warlord of the Clan Urghet."

"Shala'Nara vas Big Bad."

"Riku."

"Urghet Wrox"

"Tezelen Eldne, but you can call me Twitch," He looked at the asari on Shepard's team and winks, "'Sup girl." He finished with a mischievous grin. The crew of the Normandy all looked a little uncomfortable, especially the asari.

"Cassandra Chlebowski." She said, glaring at Twitch.

"The name's Aephus Kereiros. Please ignore my moronic Salarian friend. It's a pleasure to meet the crew of the Legendary Normandy." Aephus finished. "If you would please follow us to the mess hall we can all become better aquainted." Aephus offered. As they were leaving another human woman came out of the Normandy.

"Hey dumbass, what's going on? Who are all these fuckers here?" the heavily tattooed woman asked. They all turned to look at the newcomer, all surprised by what they saw. The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties, had her hair in a single strip with the sides shaved.

Shepard walked over to the woman. "Jack, these people are going to be helping us in the war. I'm going to talk to them and see if we can hammer out the details. You need to stay here with your students so we don't offend them or get in their way." He explained to the now recognized Jack. The Batarian Riku seemed to be focusing a lot on the human woman.

"Commander, who is this young woman?" James asked.

"This is Jack; she was a teacher at Grissom Academy, before Cerberus attacked and took control of the station." He told them. Jack gave a slight wave and turned back to the Commander. "Look Shepard, I need to get my kids to the Citadel and get them back to training."

"Miss Jack, why don't you bring your students along with you to the mess hall? We have food and beverages there and it will give you all a chance to relax. I know how trying it can be to deal with Cerberus." James offered with a kind smile.

Jack eyed him for a second, sizing him up. She wasn't use to people treating her with kindness, other than Shepard, and didn't know how to respond. "How is it you know what it's like to deal with those bastards?" She asked him, her voice even.

"I was one of the first to be 'selected' for the Phoenix Project" James said. He pulled out some dog-tags from under his armor, showing his full name and project number next to the Cerberus insignia.

She saw the tags and nodded. "Good enough for me just let me get the kids and we'll be there."

"Good, I'll leave Riku here to show you the way." James volunteered his man to lead the biotic woman away. Riku just stared at him. James always volunteers him to do things without even asking. He didn't want to be stuck with this human female and some snot nosed punk kids. But James had already assigned him to this task.

-In the mess hall-

Shepard, James, Takai, Doohan and Shala all sat at apart from the rest of their crew. Both crews sat down, though the human female named Ashley made sure to keep her distance from the crazy salarian called Twitch, and began sharing various stories of the various adventures and of the battles they've been in.

"So what exactly are we looking at here Shepard? What are we going to face in the future? If we're to be working together I need to know what is ahead of us.

"Not only will we be fighting cerberus and the geth but the reapers and collectors as well James."

"Are you sure commander Shepard?"

"For those of us that were not in a secret government organization, what's a Reaper" Takai growled

"Well Takai a Reaper is a highly advanced from of synthetics that comes every 50,000 years to wipe all organic life that getting to advanced." Shepard informed the korgan warlord.

"So there like geth times a hundred?" James asked.

"Try times a thousand." Shepard stated.

"Finally an enemy worthy of the korgan." Takai stated while laughing.

"Takai do not get over confident." James said

Just then Riku, followed by Jack and her students, walked in to the mess hall. Jack was alittle impressed by the size of the mess hall but her students were in awe.

Jack and  
her students sat at a large table just looking around. Just then Riku walked over to one of the large tables in the mess hall.

"So, um, Jack do you or your student want or need anything to eat or drink." Riku stated

"Yes I'll take a beer any kind you got and energy drinks for the kitties" Jack asked

"I'll be back." Riku said

"So what do you kids think about this place?" Jack asked her students

"What do you mean the crew or the ship?" a student asked

"Both or either one." Jack stated

"The ship is massive in size almost making it a dreadnaught class." a student said

"And the crew?" Jack asked

"They are a bit eccentric." a student said. Just then Twitch walked up to the table.

"Do any of you kids know how to build a pyjak launcher?" Twitch asked Jack's students

"Um...no." a student answered.

"Do you want to?" Twitch asked.

"Why would we need a pyjak launcher?" a student asked when Riku finally showed up with the food and drinks with a angry scowl on his face.

"Twitch get the fuck out of here." Riku snarled.

"And I thought humans were fun." Twitch stated as he walked away.

"Would you mind not swearing in front of my students" Jack leveled a glare at Riku

"Sorry." Riku says backing away from Jack, trying not to anger the biotic any further.

Shepard filled in the leaders on the dangers they will be facing the crew of the Normandy got better acquainted with the crew of the Big Bad. That's when craziness ensued.

"That's crazy, I can take you on any time anywhere" Vega shouted.

"In your dreams human, the only guy around here that can give me a run for my money is Wrox" Riku shouted back.

"I'll make you run alright" Wrox growled threateningly.

"You want to go? Me and you right now." Vega challenged.

"That fine by me let's take it to the gym. Boss gets mad when we fight in the mess." Riku said.

Riku and the crew of the Big Bad lead the crew of the Normandy to the gym they had on the ship.

"Um, are we going to do something about this?" Shepard asked

"They just need to get the ants out their pants, it's been awhile since we had a contract." James said.

Shepard looked at the doorway where the two ship crews exited, unsure if he should be worried or not.

-In the gym-

The batarian and the human stand in the middle of a human boxing ring. The gym around them was outfitted like a human gym. There were sone differences, like the krogan wieght set and the kinetic force measuring machine.

The soldier and the brawler square off in the ring. The two fighters stared each other down, sizing their opponent.

"Don't think that because your a guest that I'm going to fo easy on you." Riku said, jabbing the air a few times to limber up.

"Look here pretty boy; don't go crying a tu mama when I beat you black and blue." Vega taunted mirroring Riku's actions.

"You two going to stand there and talk all day or are we going to see some fists fly?" Wrox questioned impatiently. The krogan wanted to see this human in action, though he didn't think the human actually stood a chance against his batarian comrade.

The two combatants stepped closer and began their fight. Vega started with a right jab followed by a left hook. Riku dodged to the left and blocked the hook. Riku countered by jabbing twice with his right and followed up with an uppercut. Vega blocked the two jabs and stepped back.

Back and forth the two fighters exchanged blows, niether one giving an inch.

Wrox walked up to the turian and lightly nudged him. The turian turned and looked at the krogan with a questioning glance.

"Hey Vakarian, you a bettin' man?" the krogan growled. The truian stared at him oddly.

"I suppose I could be, what do you have in mind?" The turian asked.

"Hundred credits say that my batarian friend comes out on top." Wrox offered. Garrus looked over at the fight. He knew that Vega is a very capable fighter and knew that Vega shouldn't have a problem taking down the batarian.

"Alright, I have faith in Vega and I believe that he'll be the one walking away from this fight the winner." The two shook hands and turned their attention back to the ring.

- In the mess hall -

The five comanding officers sat a table, all had some bit of food and drink near by.

"So who others are in your main fighting force?" Shepard asks looking over some of James' personnel files.

"Wrox, Takai, Cassandra and Riku are our heaviest hitters, then there is Aranya, Takai's asari daughter. Twitch, Doohan, Suki, and a human named Cain are our best engineers. Han'Nara, Aephus, Alex "Boxer" Kent, Sampson Star Rider, and Lantaxos Vyos are our soldiers. We have two drell assassins, brothers. Then there are Wilhelm, my twin brother and another member of the Phoenix Project, Dungus the volus adept. We have others but these are the ones with the most combat experience." James stated going through the names.

"That's quite a team you have there. How did you get so many to join you?" Shepard asked.

"Actually most of them I stumbled on. I helped them out and they decided to join me. The qurians I met on their pilgrimage and when they completed it they found me again. They said that the flotilla wanted them to be sort of ambassadors to ensure good relations between us." James explained. He took a drink of water from his glass.

"James is the only human we have met that has actually gone out of his way to help my brother and I on our pilgrimage. He even escorted us throughout most of it to ensure our safety." Shala'Nara interjected.

"So, I need to ask. What are you guys being offered to take part in this plan?" Shepard asked. He knew that most, if not all, the mercenaries participating in the N7 Spec Ops are getting something in return for their aid.

"I was promised that this ship will be recognized as a independent station. That we will be allowed to operate independantly from the alliance and the citadel council." James replied.

"Are you sure about that? I mean a station is hard to maintain and even harder to keep independent. Do you have the resources for that?" Shepard asked.

Doohan take a moment to bring to activate his Omni-tool and display a chart containing information on the ships resources. "We have a small stockpile separated from our main reserves," Doohan Pauses to breath, "We also have a large amount of credits hidden away," He takes a breath, "for whatever emergencies may occur." He deactivated his Omni-tool and allowed the meeting to continue.

"We have small trade agreements with both the citadel and the alliance; we were also trying to establish an agreement with Aria before Cerberus sent her packing." Takai grunted. "Didn't think Aria would ever be outsmarted and lose control of Omega. What do you humans say? 'There's a first time for everything.'"

"Speaking of Aria," Shala interjected, "we've heard that she has taken up temporary residence in the citadel. Tell her that should she need any assistance reclaiming what's hers. We have had mutually beneficial dealings in the past but nothing technically official. We may be rivals in a way but that doesn't mean we can't offer her a hand." She paused for a second, "Though we can't exactly offer her any direct aid, knowing her she would refuse any gesture that would make her look weak in anyway."

"As if having Omega snatched away from her power-hungry little fingers wasn't bad enough for her image, but having one of her biggest competitors offering aid would really piss her off." Takai mumbled. All of his co-founders look at the warlord. "What? You know I'm right."

"Anyway, we still need to discuss what exactly we are getting for our participation," James drew their attention away from The Pirate Queen. "I just need to know that Hackett won't screw us over after the Reapers are taken care of."

Shepard gave Wolfgang a curious look. "Sounding quite confident there James. Aren't you worried the Reapers might actually destroy all sentient life in the known universe?" Shepard asked, unsure if Wolfgang was arrogant or if he really believed that the unity of the galaxy would purge them of this new synthetic threat.

"I'm not naïve Commander, nor am I arrogant enough to believe that my participation will be what tips the balance to our favor. I know not everyone is going to live to see the aftermath, or at all should the Reapers get their way. However, should we come out victorious I need to know the sacrifices my team is going to make won't go ignored. Leaving us alone, struggling to survive in space." James replied, determination in his voice.

"I can understand your reasoning then. I'll make sure that you and your team get everything you asked for. I'm glad to have your team helping us face the Reapers." the Commander said.

Their conversation was interrupted when an asari in black and red commando leather walked into the mess hall. She looked around the hall and spotted the four merc leaders.

"Hey old man, I finished that job with those Eclipse bitches. They didn't see us..." she stopped after spotting Shepard. "Why hello there you fine piece of ass." She smiled lecherously. Shepard looked a little uncomfortable under her predatory gaze while James, Shala, and Doohan shook their heads. Takai let out a deep sigh.

"Aranya, I told you not be coming on too aggressively to people you just met." Takai growled, clearly annoyed with the young maidens antics. Said maiden crossed her arms over her chest and let out her own annoyed huff.

"Why? It's the same line that mom used on you when she first saw you and look how you guys turned out. I'm pretty sure Ryeen and Thraja would agree that you two met in one of the most unconventional ways so don't go judging my bed warming choices." She retorted. Takai sighed again.

"Can you at least restrain yourself in front of our guest from the Alliance?" He asked exasperatedly. Shepard couldn't believe how informal they all were. They weren't like any other merc group he'd ever seen. As father and daughter continue to bicker back and forth, the rest of the crew returned. Vega and Riku came in, an arm around the others shoulders grinning happily. Both men were sporting various bumps, cuts, and bruises on their faces while both also seem to walk with a slight limp.

"So, who won?" Takai asked. The other leaders turned to look at both crews coming in. They heard growls come from both Garrus and Wrox, both of whom glared at Twitch. They all could see the smug smile coming from the salarian. "It was a draw, Garrus was wagering that Mr. Vega would win, Wrox bet on Riku. I came in after the second round and bet that they would tie." Twitch smiled. The other crewmembers just shake their heads. It was then that Aranya found new prey to stalk.

"Why, hello there you fine piece of ass." She slinked up to James and help support the marine, while also using it as an excuse to cop a feel, which caught James off guard.

"Easy there Chica. I'm still a little tender." James smirked. Aranya smirked back. "Oh you poor thing, let me rub it and make it better." She replied in a sultry tone. The two were interrupted by a deep growl. They turned to see a very angry korgan bearing down on them. "I hope I'm interrupting something." Takai growled, glaring at the two. Aanya just glared back.

"Dad, I'm not seventy anymore. I'm not a little girl and I won't be treated as such. If I want to pick up a guy or girl and take him or her to bed you have no say in it. If I sleep with on or ten guys at a time it my business and not yours!" She shouted. It was then she realized that she was in a room was full of people she hadn't met before and that she just shouted out something that was best left for private. Her face burned with embarrassment as she received odd stares from everyone in the room.

"As amusing as this little family drama is we have other things to attend to," James then steps forward before anything else can happen, "Commander, may we take this to my office?" Wolfgang motions to the Commander to follow him as he walks out of the room and into a nearby elevator.

[And that's the first chapter. Please review and criticize constructively, if we made mistakes we want to know about them. Flames, as always will be allowed to burn themselves out.]


End file.
